Robert is the Director of the Economist Corporate Network based in Dubai and covering the MENA region. Robert works closely with network members to help inform their business strategies through political, economic and operational insight and to connect them with their senior leadership peers.

Robert is a business journalist, editor and publisher with 25 years of experience covering a wide variety of sectors, including hospitality, retail, construction, energy and transport, and a particular interest in human capital management.

He is an accomplished event chairman, moderator and speaker.

Robert completed an MBA at the University of Leicester School of Business in 2012 and holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham.

Samer Lezzaiq is the head of the newly established Global Health Unit at Bayer Pharma, which is responsible for delivering on the company's bold ESG/Sustainability agenda and its "Health for All" mission. Prior to that, Samer was the Managing Director at Bayer Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Cluster Country Manager for the Pharma division.

Samer brings more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to his role, having been with Bayer for over 17 years. Samer has also held various leadership positions across multiple
geographies, including Germany, the USA, China, and five countries within the Middle East.

Samer is passionate about improving access to medicine in Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMICs) and making it easier for patients in underserved communities to get the care they need. He is also committed to empowering healthcare providers to reach more patients. His ability to foster collaboration and motivate people across different geographies is essential to Bayer's success in setting industry trends.

Samer earned his B.Sc. in Analytical Chemistry, an MBA, and a Doctor of Business Administration. He is also the primary inventor of a pharmaceutical preparation patent and a co-inventor on two other patents related to pharmaceutical formulations and devices.

Naji Atallah leads the Construction and Manufacturing industries for Autodesk across EMEA Emerging Countries. He focuses on defining the regional vision for the industries, cultivating and sustaining the firm's relationships with strategic industry leaders and associations as well as enabling regional designers, builders and makers to innovate through the use of technology. He evangelizes purposeful digital transformation as a roadmap for companies to make more with a less negative impact on the plant necessary to sustain the demographic changes of the future.



His research interests focus on advanced technologies such as Generative Design and the effect of those technologies on the design process and outcomes. He is a peer-reviewed published author on the topic.



Naji has been in the engineering technology sector for over 20 years. Prior to joining Autodesk in 2013, he served as the Middle East Regional Manager for AVEVA Solutions and as a Project Engineering Lead for Petrofac. He holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Borys is the managing partner of Baker McKenzie’s UAE offices and has been a partner of Baker McKenzie since 1995. Borys is also head of the Investigations, Compliance & Ethics practice in the Middle East and is co-chair of the Investigations, Compliance & Ethics Steering Committee for the EMEA region. He regularly advises clients across various industries on a broad range of compliance-related matters, including anti-bribery policies and programs. Borys has participated in whistleblower interviews and has led investigations relating to allegations of fraud, embezzlement, bribery and breach of trade sanctions. He also works with in house legal teams of multi-national clients to deliver tailored trainings on anti-bribery issues and trade compliance matters and is increasingly involved in assisting clients in the structuring and implementation of comprehensive, risk-based compliance programs.

Borys has practiced in numerous jurisdictions over his career. He was previously appointed managing partner of the Gulf offices (including Doha, Riyadh and Bahrain), and prior to moving to the Gulf, he was the managing partner in the Prague (Czech Republic) and Kyiv (Ukraine) offices of Baker McKenzie, spending approximately 8 years in each office location. He started his legal career in New York.